NYPD faces a hairy suit
A HASIDIC NYPD recruit fired for refusing to trim his beard on religious grounds will fight for his job in court, his lawyer said.
Fishel Litzman will appear in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday as his lawyer, a legal heavyweight experienced in religious rights cases, argues for the ex-cop’s full reinstatement to the NYPD.
“He very much so wants to get his job back,” said Nathan Lewin. “It’s always been his ambition to be a New York City police officer. He still has a very, very strong wish to serve as a New York City police officer.”
The 39-year-old Litzman made headlines last June when the top recruit at the Police Acade- my was fired a month before graduation.
The NYPD said he had ignored repeated warnings about trimming his beard to within 1 millimeter long under department guidelines.
Litzman, whose beliefs as a Hasidic Jew prohibit him from trimming or cutting his facial hair in any way, said the NYPD knew about his convictions from the start and gave no indication they would be a problem.
But city Assistant Corporation Counsel Keri Reid McNally said Litzman was told before entering the academy that the facial hair limit would be enforced.
The city also said that beards need to be shaven so officers can wear gas masks during counter
terrorism drills.